Dancing with the Devil
by Green Phantom Queen
Summary: When Jeff turned 13, his twin brothers Adam and Christian died in a car crash. Now at 16, he is being constantly blamed for his brothers' death by eveyrone at school. But now, he's given a chance to fix his life, but someone is trying to take him to hell.
1. How to Save a Life

_For those of you who know about Jeff Hardy's condition, let me explain this._

_People who are starting to turn a blind eye, just shut up and read this damn fic. The minute you read this story, leave your damn opinions at the doormat, and once you finish reading the chapters go on and rant about Jeff Hardy. Under no circumstances am I going to have flames about how I am making Jeff the main character of this story, because he's an awesome person. I will personally support him no matter what happens. So shut the fuck up, read the story then go onto your life about how you hate Jeff Hardy. And here's the logic:_

_Jeff is a human, and he makes mistakes. Since we're humans, we all make mistakes._

_And then there are people who decide to change, and people who decide not to. Jeff has understood his actions, and he's going to become a better person...the question is, will you be there to say 'Welcome Back', when he returns?_

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**Dance with the Devil**

**by Green Phantom Queen**

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**Chapter 1-How to Save a Life**

"_**Step one, you say we need a talk. He walks, you say sit down it's just a talk. He smiles politely back at you, you stare politely right on through." The Fray, How to Save a Life**_

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**Tarot Card Reading: 0-The Fool (inverted), -"When life is getting you down, and people start accusing you of faults, do not immediately jump into any of their conclusions. Take the time to gather all the facts in the situation that is overwhelming you. Remember, what people are accusing you is just fiction, not reality.**

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"_Happy birthday, Jeff!"_

_Jeff smiled as he took in a deep breath, he exhaled blowing out the small flames on the candles. The clapping of his family members made him smile as he counted all the candles on the cake: there were thirteen of them._

"_Congratulations, Jeff!" Christian replied, hugging his younger brother. "You're finally a teenager."_

"_Our baby brother is growing up so fast, isn't he?" Adam replied, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Now we can finally see PG-13 movies together."_

"_Don't you already do so, you two?" David Heath, the father replied. "There was that one time you made him see the Ring and he wouldn't go near the VCR for about a month. It didn't help that you also made him watch the other movies from the series."_

_Jeff stared at his family members. The father around his late 30's was around 6 feet, even though his older brothers were taller. Wavy blonde hair framed the face, and a pair of pointed incisors completed the vampire look on him. He was a bartender at the local pub known as "The Druid", and sometimes brought leftovers from his job for everyone to share. One of his famous tricks was concocting a special brew—which was known as Raven's Blood—and splitting out to the crowd. And then there was always the blood baths..._

_Then there were his older brothers Adam and Christian. They were both 16, being fraternal twins, taller than their own father by a couple of inches. Adam's hair looked as if it could never be brushed straight and was mostly seeing leather jackets and pants. Out of both twins, he was notable for the sun tattoo on his left shoulder, something that his younger twin placed on him._

_Christian was the younger and cheerful one with blue eyes compared to his brother's grey ones. He was the one being constantly treated like an animal due to his 'cute' looks and innocent behavior. He was usually seen wearing black pants and a white gentleman's blouse—he explained to Jeff that he didn't want to explain why he wore them—and was in the drama club while Adam was on the wrestling team._

"_I can't wait until he turns 16 though, Addy." Christian replied, kissing his brother on the cheek. "Then Father will let us have our way with him!" Jeff looked confused as David immediately stared at the twin boys._

"_Who said I'd let you have your way and making your brother no longer a virgin?" David replied starkly. "I am not letting that happen..."_

"_And Jeff..." Adam replied. "You wouldn't let us live." Jeff, about to slice some cake for himself, dropped the knife. It clattered onto the floor as he started to tremble a bit._

"_Why Jeff?" Adam asked him, his hair covering his eyes. "Why did you have to kill us?" Both twins lifted their heads, showing new bruises and empty eye sockets staring at him...causing him to get out of his seat, and run away from them. He didn't care what was going on, just so long as he could get away form those monsters._

"_I'm sorry!" Jeff cried out. "I didn't mean to...I'm sorry...I didn't mean to..." He repeated that all over again as he tripped on his legs, turning to see his brothers slowly come up to him._

"_You killed us..." They chanted. "You killed us..."_

_And all poor Jeffrey Heath could do...was scream._

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Jeff woke in a cold sweat, gasping for air. Placing a hand on his heart, he took in some deep breaths to help calm him down. It was that same dream...the very same dream that haunted him for the past 3 years...

"Damn it," He said to himself as he removed the sheets on him. Stepping onto the shaggy carpet, he wrapped his arms against his shivering torso. He slowly walked toward his bathroom door, looking at the date...

August 30th. He was sixteen.

"Great," He said glumly. "I'm sixteen." He opened the door and stared at himself in front of the medicine cabinet mirror. Blue and red hair fell limply near his face, black tiger stripes were near his cheeks and lots of bags curled under his eyes. He let out another sigh as he removed his sweater, revealing long cuts gracing his arms. Then, he removed his pants and boxers, staring at his naked glory.

"Naked as the day I was born." He murmured. "Sometimes I wish I never was born..." He went to the bathtub, turning the faucet that released the hot water. The spout soon poured the steamy liquid into the tub as Jeff stepped inside. Once his body was completely soaked, he grabbed the small bar of soap, running it against his arms. He winced a bit from the stings, but continued to lather the suds over his body, making sure every part of his body was completely clean.

_I can't wait until he turns 16, Addy! Then Father will let us have our way with him! _Jeff gritted his teeth at the memory...three years ago Christian and Adam were waiting for that special day...now they would never see it. He grasped the bottle of shampoo, opening it and slightly smelling the aroma of the liquid. Pouring a drop into his hair, he ran his soft fingertips into the formula, until his hair was covered by a crown of soap.

"Jeff!" The sound of the father said through the door. "Breakfast will be ready in five minutes!"

Jeff didn't reply as he sat on the bathtub and let out another sigh.

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"Three years." Gangrel said to his son as he placed pile of fried eggs and bacon onto a plate. "Time flies so fast."

Jeff didn't reply as he let his eyes stare at the arrangement of the plate...two fried eggs on the upper half of the plate and two slices of bacon to make it look like it was a smiling face. He let out a small grunt as he took the pieces of bacon and turned them upside down. Now it looked like it was frowning at him.

"You're sixteen, not six." Gangrel muttered to himself, pouring a glass of coffee for himself. "Now eat your food, not play with it."

"Fine, dad." Jeff spat out, stabbing the egg yolks with a slice of toast. It didn't stop there...Gangrel could only gulp down his coffee as he saw Jeff stab the fried egg yolks again and again with the toast. The insane look in Jeff's green eyes made it look like he was a tiger, playing with his prey.

"Jeff, I said..."

"I like it like this, dad." Jeff replied. "You see? Now it's crying. Can't you see the tears running down its face?" He picked up the plate, tilting it so he could drink the egg yolk, feeling the yellow substance fall down his throat. He licked his lips as he set the plate down. "Why should we all be happy? We must all have times where we want to be sad, and today is the day where the clouds hang against the sun and angels cry tears of melancholy."

"....I should have _**never **_signed you up for those poetry readings." Gangrel muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "And angels do not act like that."

"How would you know?" Jeff replied, munching on a piece of bacon. "You're too busy with that little bar of yours, having competitions with "The Rattlesnake" that you don't even have time for your only son."

Gangrel just sighed as he stared at the picture frames on the small cupboard behind Jeff. There were three pictures: one of them with him and his wife Luna on their wedding day, one with him and Adan and Christian when they had turned ten, and the last one was the three of them and Jeff from five years ago....memories that were impossible to be seen....

Jeff didn't look at his father as he finished slurping down his breakfast. Wiping his mouth with the back of his arm, he stood up and placed his plate onto the sink.

"I'll be home around nine tonight." Gangrel said as the sound of running water reached Jeff's ears. "I'll bring a cake from the bakery and we can share it to celebrate your sixteenth birthday. Oh, and I also have to pick up your gift too..."

"I grew tired of gifts after I turned fourteen, dad." Jeff snapped back. "I don't want a present, because it was that damn selfish reason that they're gone!" He stomped out of the kitchen and headed into the living room, picking up his bag as he did so. "I'll see you later, father." The last word he spat out as if it was a disease.

"Goodbye then." Gangrel replied as he heard the door shut. He then let out a sigh as he sipped the last of his coffee. He then stood up, and walked toward one of the windows. He pulled it open, letting the warm, grey sky welcome him.

"They're coming, I'm sure of it." He said to himself. "I just hope there's enough time..."

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"Happy birthday, bitch!"

Jeff felt punches hit against his body against the lockers. The looks amongst the faces of Phil Brooks, John Morrison and Mike Mizanin were full of anger as they continued to beat up the birthday boy. No one came to help, rather they were cheering the attackers on as Jeff curled himself into a small ball.

"This is what you get!" Phil sneered. "A little druggie like you are the reason people have to sacrifice themselves. Just say no, Jeff...if you did that, then your Addy and Christy would still be living."

"How pathetic." Mike replied, spitting onto Jeff's red and blue hair. The younger boy didn't reply as he closed his eyes, trying to focus his mind somewhere else...all that was there were the haunting voices of his nightmares, chanting that statement over and over again.

_You killed us...You killed us...You killed us..._

The bell rang, signaling that classes were about to start. Everyone packed up their bags and walked off, leaving Jeff all alone. He was about to stand when he felt a piece of paper under his sneaker. Picking it up, he found that it was a white envelope with a golden sticker on it. He carefully removed the sticker with his thumb, opening the flap to reveal a piece of paper. Opening it up, he gasped when he found it was an invitation to a party that night.

_**To the owner of this invitation, **_

_**You are accordingly invited to the special party for Adam and Christian Heath **_

_**Location: White Rabbit Inn**_

_**Time: 8 PM-12PM**_

_**PS, do not forget the 'party favors'**_

He looked through the invitation again and again, a smile coming onto his face. He put it away into his backpack, and rushed all the way to English class, soon meeting up with the teacher Miss Vickie Guerrero. She clicked her teeth at Jeff when he rushed in.

"You're late." She said simply, righting him down on her attendance book. "Take your seat, now."

Jeff just nodded his head, amongst the snickering of the other students. It didn't matter anymore, all that mattered was that for the first time in so long, he was invited.

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"I don't know about this." Gangrel said to his son as they drove to the location of the party. "It sounds like a trap."

"Dad." Jeff replied, staring at the side of the road. "This is important, and it's for Adam and Christian...they still remember....I just wish that people would let their death go tonight."

Gangrel took a left turn, merging into the highway as he let out a sigh. "Trust me Jeff, they truly don't understand what's going on. They just use you as a scapegoat as a way to get rid of unwanted anger. Evil people these days love to put blame, because they think it makes their life easier....I hope you understand."

"I want to." Jeff muttered, lightly rubbing the cuts on his arm. "But I can't..."

Using his right hand, Gangrel grasped his son's hand lightly, giving it a slight squeeze. "They will in time, humans must learn how to forgive eventually."

Jeff said nothing as he found the elegant White Rabbit Inn coming up...it was a similar to palace with two white rabbits waiting for the people to enter, instead of marble lions. Beautiful flowers—no weeds in sight—covered the garden in the front yard and a small fountain was settled near the entrance. Many of the students from Jeff's High school—and some old friends of Adam and Christian were entering inside.

Jeff kissed is father on the cheek. "Bye Dad...I'll see you in a while." He unbuckled himself and opened the door, his hand dangling on the small paper bag he was carrying. He then shut the door and walked to the entrance.

Gangrel stared at his son, somehow sensing something bad happening. He clasped his hands in prayer and started to whisper something under his breath.

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Jeff entered the room, confused as to why there were no lights on. He could hear whispering, and some other sounds...but nothing else. He slowly continued to walk, using his hands to guide him. He stumbled on for about another minute or so before the lights came on.

"Well," said a voice. "You actually fell for it." Jeff turned around, seeing everyone in his Junior class—not to mention old friends of his brothers'--coming up to him. They were all carrying what looked like paddles, others had baseball bats...and the rest was obscured by red light.

"This is what you did three years ago." One of them replied. Jeff instantly knew that was the voice of Chris Jericho, a good friend of Christian's. "It was _**you**_ who did it...you had to ask and whine for that gift. You begged your brothers for that gift, and you kept begging and begging and begging..."

"And then, as they were coming home, you killed them!" John Cena hissed, hitting his hand with the paddle. "You caused their deaths that night, and we all knew why they died...all...because...of you."

"Now you're going to get it." Randy Orton said next to Cena. "Prepare for your death! Death so that you can be atoned for your sins.

Jeff gasped as he tried to run away...but he was blocked on all sides by at least thirty or forty other students with weapons...he didn't have time to react as he was whacked by a paddle, then had his ribs crushed with a baseball bat. Screams of murder filled the air as Jeff curled himself into a ball to stop the pain...He screamed as a bat hit his spine, bitter tears falling down his face.

"Aww, the little baby is crying." Cody Rhodes said mockingly. "Cry, little baby. Because babies like you don't deserve to live!"

The abuse continued as Jeff bit into his shirt sleeve, trying to muffle his screams. The noise of the angry teenagers were ignored as he thought of his nightmares.

_You killed us...You killed us...You killed us..._

"NOOOO!" Jeff screamed out through the waves of abuse. Suddenly, without warning, cracks started to appear from the floor...through them, thorny vines shot out, tearing through the group of teenagers, flinging them across the floors so they landed everywhere. Jeff gasped as a pair of hands broke through a large crack in the center of the floor. The smell of smoke filled the air as he saw someone stare at him.

"Hi, pretty boy." The figure cried. "Nice to meet you. The name's Itchweed." Jeff could only stare at the person...it looked exactly like him, except it was wearing green armbands with holes cut through the fabric, black pants with vines wrapping around the leather, black leather boots and had cuts through his chest. He also had long green hair, white make up covering his face with black lines going down his eyes and lips, and a wide toothy grin as he stared at everyone.

"So," Itchweed replied to everyone else. "You're the ones who were abusing him, huh?" Some of them were startled by his presence, all of them staying quiet. "Well...let's see how you like it when you are the victims!"

Thorny vines grabbed some of the weapons, and they retaliated, hitting everyone in the backs, their faces...screams filled the air as they tried to tell the strange person to stop.

"Don't worry." Itchweed replied to Jeff. "I will satisfy your revenge against all of them. They will never hurt you again."

"Stop it!" Jeff cried out. "Don't hurt them!" Itchweed turned at this, staring at him with shock.

"What did you say?" Itchweed replied in a low voice. "These people abused you for three years! These people were trying to kill you! And you're just going to stand up to them?!" Itchweed clenched his fists, digging his nails deep into the palm so he could draw blood. His green eyes started to glow red as more vines started to shoot and the vines continued to attack everyone. More vines continued to cover the walls, covering the people...until it was a whole jungle.

"Stop it!" Jeff heard the cry of Chris Jericho, his arms being attacked by a large metal baseball bat that was being swung by a vine. "I beg you, stop it!"

"Why should I stop it?!" Itchweed laughed sadistically. "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Equal punishment for what you did to dear Jeffie...that is what I"m giving you. I am his avenger..."

"And it's going to stop right now!" An arrow of light appeared, knocking Itchweed squarely in the chest. He fell to the ground as Jeff turned to see a person blocking the door.

"Jeff, get out of here now!" The young boy gasped to see his father standing there, white wings attached to his back and a bow in his hand. "Don't just stand there, move it!"

Itchweed snarled as he summoned an orb of fire. "Prepare to die!" He fired the orb, only for it to contact a glowing white shield. Gangrel smirked at that as he brought out a sword, throwing it into the air. It sliced all the vines surrounding the room like a boomerang, causing them to shrivel up and die.

"Why Jeff?" Itchweed hissed out. "Why are you forgiving them?! They hurt you! They abused you! They didn't care for your safety, they cared for your death! So why waste your breath on bastards like them in the first place?!" Tears were streaming out of Itchweed's eyes as he said that. "Why?" He asked in a soft tone.

Jeff walked up to the sobbing spirit and hugged him softly. At this time, everything was quiet...none of the previous attackers said a word.

"Because," Jeff murmured. "My father once told me that humans learn how to forgive eventually. I don't know when that'll happen, but I'm slowly starting to realize...that all I can do is go through life as I would do before Adam and Christian's death. They wouldn't want me going out like this, cutting myself, taking drugs...never being able to smile...they would want me to be a happy child, happy because he knows that his brothers are not suffering..."

Itchweed continued to cry some more as Jeff continued. "And in a way, you were right. I was angry that I wanted people to feel how I felt. I wanted them to know the abuse they gave me for so long. But this isn't the right way to do so...if people just talked, if people would listen...if people would take the time to understand...then this wouldn't have happened...Do you understand?"

Itchweed nodded his head. "Y-yeah..." He replied, wiping some tears. "I don't know what came over me....I was never like this...I was your imaginary friend after all...and imaginary friends look after their creators. Can you...forgive me, Jeff?"

Jeff looked at the green doppleganger of him. "Yeah...I guess I can. It was never your fault in the first place." Itchweed smiled and hugged Jeff once more...slowly dissolving into grains of light.

"Thank you..." Itchweed replied. "Now I do not have to live with evil in my soul...Goodbye Jeff...Goodbye..." Itchweed's body soon became nothing more than leaves, and the vines that had fallen around the room also disintegrated into green motes...they floated into the air, through the windowed roof, until nothing could be seen again.

Jeff turned to his father, still shocked to see the angel wings on his back. "Dad...what's going on?"

Gangrel sighed a bit. "I'll tell you when we get into the car. Now let's go." Jeff nodded his head slowly walking toward his father.

"Wait!" Jeff turned to see Chris Jericho slowly walking up to him...In fact, all of the attackers were slowly coming up, all looking worse for the wear.

"We're...we're sorry." Chris continued. "We didn't mean to attack you for all these years...we were all just upset about, you know...we all used you as scapegoat for our blame...and you never meant us any harm. So...could you..."

"Forgive you?" Jeff replied with a small sneer. "Let me think..." He thought for a couple of seconds before replying. "Let me think about it for three years." He then grasped the door handle, slamming the door as he walked out of the building with his father, leaving everyone of his attackers surrounded in the glowing red light.

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"What was that all about?" Jeff replied to his father as they walked out of the inn. "What's with those wings? And that bow? And that shield?"

Gangrel sighed as he stopped walking, then stared at his son. "I hope you can understand this but...I am a former angel...."

Jeff stared at his father weirdly. "Are you crazy?" He replied. "I don't know how much you drink at that bar but...."

"This is no laughing matter, Jeffrey!" Gangrel snapped. "What you fought there was a manifestation of your sadness that turned your old imaginary friend into a vengeful fiend...you're lucky that you were able to calm it, or else bad things were going to happen."

"Just what's going on, dad?!" Jeff cried out. "Why are you a former angel?!"

There was silence as the wings twitched under the moonlight. "Because, Jeffrey...long ago, I was a protector of Heaven...but I fell in love with a human, and in doing so I gave up my powers to be with her..."

"Mom..." Jeff said in a light whisper. "And then she had Adam and Christian..."

"And then she had you...and then she died after you were born." Gangrel added. "Luna was a good wife and mother...she didn't care that she might die anytime, as long as her family was happy even after she was gone...then she could die peacefully." Tears fell from both of the men's eyes at the thought. Jeff wiped a tear with his sleeve.

"Did...Addy and Christy know about your secret?" Gangrel turned around, smiling sadly.

"Maybe you should ask them..." He stepped to the side as Jeff fell onto his knees in shock. There, standing in front of him were two boys in white tunics and wings. Blonde hair that went past their shoulders, and soft smiles made it seem all to familiar.

"Adam...Christian..." Jeff mouthed out. "It can't be...this can't be true..."

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_Okay, before all ye haters can go and start ranting about Jeff let me tell you this:_

_I do not own the names of these characters, but I own the right to delete any and all flames that comes my way._

_So do the world a favor and save your insults inside your house and not so anyone can read or hear them._

_And please give a nice glowing review if you can._


	2. Hold On

_All right, thanks for letting me rant a bit last chapter. Now we can get onto the good stuff. Things have turned out different for Jeff Hardy, but is it for better or worse?_

_Read and find out._

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

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**Dancing with the Devil**

**by Green Phantom Queen**

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**Chapter 2-Hold On**

"_**Hold on, if you feel like letting go. Hold on, it gets better than you know." -Hold On, Good Charlotte**_

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**Tarot Card Reading: Six of Swords (Inverted),-The reading can be taken two different ways. First, it can be taken as you missing specific opportunities or stubbornness. Second, is the effort to continue what you are doing. Even though you desire rest, you must go through the pain of going through all of the work you are given, if you want to finish it thoroughly and continue with your life.**

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"This...is a joke, right?" Jeff explained, seeing Adam and Christian smile at him. "Adam and Christian...can't be here..." He clenched his fist as he started to tremble. "They died three years ago...and it was all...my fault...." He slammed his fists onto the pavement as tears fell onto the ground. "HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN?! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO PLAY TRICKS ON ME?! I KILLED THEM! I KILLED THEM! I KILLED THEM!"

Jeff continued to scream, as his anger mixed with his words. Then...all was silent as he cried. Christian walked up to his younger brother, wrapping Jeff in a gentle embrace.

"Shhh...." Christian murmured, soothingly stroking Jeff's back. Jeff ignored this as he wrapped his arms around the younger twin's neck, digging his nails straight into his back, nearly damaging the white wings. "It's okay....let it all go....just let it all go, Jeff."

"I killed you..." Jeff choked out. "I killed you...."

"No you didn't." Adam said firmly. "Something else killed us....we were driving, and then this explosion came...both of us had our seat belts on, but...all we remember is a blinding light, and then we....died..."

Jeff gripped onto Christian's tunic deeper, recalling how it all started....During the weeks leading up to his birthday, he asked Adam and Christian to give him a customized teddy bear from his favorite toy store, _Omega Event. _It was specifically created just for Jeff alone, and it would be finished by the time the store was closed. However, instead of getting it sent through the mail, the delivery truck was busted, causing Adam and Christian to drive and get the package. Hours passed and the news reported of a car exploding in the middle of the road. Seeing this, Jeff and Gangrel rushed to the scene of the accident...and all that was left of that day was the unsinged teddy bear.

Everyone who was friends of Adam and Christian knew about how much Jeff wanted that bear...and it was that very same toy that caused everything. During the days after the funeral session, Jeff kept thinking of that bear...if it wasn't for him begging Adam and Christian for that bear, then they would've never died. That very same strand of logic infected everyone at the school....they blamed Jeff for Adam and Christian's death solely on that that bear...and in time, Jeff accepted it.

Gangrel slowly helped Jeff stand on his feet before hugging him. "Whatever happens from now on Jeff, your brothers' deaths were _**never**_ your fault. Don't ever think otherwise." Gangrel stated. "All of those teenagers were fools to believe that the present you asked for was the sole reason for their deaths...someone wanted them dead for a reason..."

"W-what is going on here?" Jeff asked, trying to understand the situation. "Itchweed turned evil...and those wings...."

Gangrel helped Jeff get into the car. "We'll explain when we get home after you've had a nice long bath. And hey, you can finally get to play with your favorite bath toy--" That immediately got Jeff's attention as he covered his father's mouth with his hand.

"You promised not to tell them!" Jeff whined. "No one should know about that!" Christian and Adam laughed a bit, seeing their brother back to his original self.

"You mean, no one was supposed to tell us about Mr. Ducky?" Adam teased as Jeff turned red. "That little duck that you used to talk to when you thought you were alone, and when no one was looking you kissed it on his little bill."

"H-how did you figure that out?!" Jeff said in shock. "I always keep the door locked whenever I took a...." He paused when he saw Christian stifling a laugh. "You..."

"I'm sorry, Jeff." Christian snickered. "But you were so busy that you forgot to lock the door completely...so I recorded you singing to Mr. Ducky one day and showed it to Adam...We were laughing for days." He couldn't help it as he started to laugh, rolling all over the black road. Soon after, the rest of the family joined in...Jeff felt like they were truly a family again...and that no matter what happened later on, he just wanted to keep this memory...and make sure that it was never taken away.

As soon as the laughter calmed down, Gangrel lead Jeff back to the car. "We have to get going," He reminded his sons. "There is a lot that needs to be explained."

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Jeff opened the door to their house, smiling a bit at the scenery...the black leather chair where the family watched movies and ate popcorn, the vase that he painted for his brothers' birthday when they were 14, the wooden tables and television...it truly felt like home.

"Ice cream cake!" Christian squealed, dashing toward the dinner table when he saw the frozen desert. Using the cake knife, he sliced himself a small piece before stabbing it with a plastic fork. He ate it happily before he became quiet...he then placed the plate on the table and held his head.

"BRAIN FREEZE!" Christian cried as he rolled on the floor with pain. Adam could only laugh as he tried to help his brother up. Jeff could only sit down on the comfy sofa as he was trying to make sense of everything.

"All right, you two." Gangrel replied, motioning his eldest sons to sit down. "We need to explain some stuff."

Adam and Christian sat down, Christian munching on some of the cake. "So...where do we start?" asked Adam.

"Well," Gangrel began. "I guess we should explain what happened back at the White Rabbit Inn. Apparently, the attackers knew that Jeff would take the invitation—thinking that it was just a tribute to Adam and Christian. But with all of the abuse that Jeff had been through, all of that anger and sadness was lashed onto his imaginary friend Itchweed."

"Itchweed?" Adam repeated staring at Jeff. "You _still_ have that creep around you?"

"He's not a creep!" Jeff snapped back. "And...you know what they say about imaginary friends—they come when you need them, but leave when you don't."

"And he came because you were lonely." Christian replied sadly. "He sought it as a duty to protect you, and combining with your anger and malice against everyone...he attacked them. Had it not been for your ability to forgive, then you would be just as bad as the attackers..."

"And to think they were our best friends." Adam muttered under his breath. "They should've known better than to attack Jeff...in fact, we even told them to protect him should something go wrong."

"There was more hate then love for me then." Jeff replied sadly. "There's nothing compassionate about what they did....and they tried to apologize...but I just can't forgive them...not yet."

Gangrel placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "We understand, but now you have to understand what's going on. You see, Adam and Christian have been training to become Guardian Angels. They are almost finished, but they require one final test: to help change someone's life into something better."

"And they've been assigned to me?" Jeff asked, quirking an eyebrow. "But why me? I mean, there's got to be other people whom have it worse then I do."

"It's because I requested it." Gangrel replied. "I told the Council that the only way to help you was to bring your brothers back to Earth, in an attempt to reunite you all. And now, we are in trouble...I fear that someone may be after your life, Jeffrey."

"Tell that to all of the students in my school, and all of Adam and Jay's old friends." Jeff muttered. "All of them wanted blood to be shed."

"But that was out of their own free will, nothing influenced them to attack you." Gangrel remarked. "But, whomever caused your imaginary friend to wreak havoc against those attackers might used them once more."

"I thought it was my anger and frustration that made him angry." Jeff replied in confusion.

"Yeah, but most spirits and ghosts won't act unless there was a true reason in doing so." Adam explained. "You still had a pure heart even with all of the abuse, that's why Itchweed didn't lash out...but when you finally cracked, someone must've used it to make him lash out. But who?"

"That's a tough question." Gangrel muttered. "I don't have a lot of enemies, because most of them are now in the deepest pits of Hell. Hmmm..." He closed his eyes and concentrated. The only sound that was heard was the ticking of the clock inside the room. Soon enough, the older angel opened his eyes. "Thorn."

"Thorn?." Adam asked. "You mean, _**that**_ Thorn?

"Yes, Kevin Thorn, and his two apprentices." Gangrel replied. "If I recall, they're actually the only ones in Jeff's class who never attacked him....nor were they at the White Rabbit Inn."

"Wait, you're talking about Paul London and Brian Kendrick, right?" Jeff asked in some shock. "Well...you're right...they sat away from the the abusers, and I didn't see their faces amongst the sea of bats and cricket mallets. But why's that?"

"Most likely because you're the child of an angel." Christian hypothesized. "Children of angels are said to be very sacred that spirits and demons can't touch them. London and Kendrick might've known that and couldn't help you."

"That's charming." Jeff said sarcastically. "Wait..." He replied turning to his father. "Why have you never told me about Thorn?"

"Because he was Luna's ex." Gangrel muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "He's actually a Wrath Fiend, who feeds on the emotions of anger, envy and such. After Luna's death, he sired two apprentices whom also suffered through lots of pain. It took me a while before I figured out whom they were—Wrath Fiends are shape shifters after all."

"So, if we find London and Kendrick, then we can figure out who summoned Itchweed?" Adam asked, trying to fit things together. Gangrel nodded his head.

"That's the idea. However, there is one little thing that you have to follow in the presence of Wrath Fiends." The father replied.

"And, that would be?" Christian asked.

Gangrel's face became serious as he said the statement. "You must never show anger in front of a Wrath Fiend, lest you want to find yourself in a shallow grave."

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Jeff gazed at the lights shining around the small city. It had been so long since the four had driven together in the car, and it worried him. Would someone try to kill them all just like they killed Adam and Christian three years ago? Would monsters and demons, ones that he had read in novels, pop out of the ground and threaten to torture them? He shuddered a bit at the thoughts.

"Don't worry, Jeffie." Christian replied from the back of the car. "If Kevin Thorn or his disciples try to hurt you, we'll stop them! You can count on us."

"Let's hope so." Gangrel replied, taking a sharp turn to the left, which caused the three boys in the back to shift to the left a bit also. "He blames you on Luna's loss, Jeff. And his anger is most likely greater then the combined forces of those teenagers who kept attacking you for the past 3 years."

"Yay." Jeff replied in a dead pan voice. "This will be fun."

"If that monster hurts a hair on your head, he'll die." Adam remarked, his hands crossed against his chest. "I swear that I'll stab him with a knife into his heart over and over again."

"No death, Adam." Gangrel replied to the threat. "With you being close to becoming Guardian Angels, one mistake like that and you'll lose your wings and become an incubus."

Adam snarled. "I don't care, as long as my younger brother is safe, then I don't mind." He replied. "I'll even kill the sick prick that killed Christy and I."

"Well, that'll have to come later." Gangrel replied, as he parked the car. "We're here."

Jeff was the first one to unbuckle himself and get out of the car. He gulped as he saw the house...it was a stereotypical haunted house with dead trees, grass in the front yard. He thought he heard the sound of laughter combined with a soft breeze, it chilled him to the bone.

"Stay close, Jeff." Gangrel replied. "And do not get angry. That'll be the last thing you do."

Jeff nodded as he turned to see Adam and Christian coming up to them. In the darkness, they looked as if they were glowing....their clothes looked as if they were sewn with threads of light. Their wings also made them more radiant then ever.

"Come on." Adam replied. "We need some answers." Christian didn't say anything, but just kept staring at the house.

Jeff was the first to make it to the porch. He slowly let his knuckles rap against the door, waiting for someone to reply to the knock. The family waited for a while before the door creaked open, and a head popped out from the darkness.

"Welcome," said the person. "What is your purpose for being here?"

"Cut the crap, Brian David Kendrick." Gangrel replied, staring at the blonde Wrath Fiend. "We need to talk to Thorn."

"Why should you?" Brian replied coolly. "You haven't spoken to him after what happened to Luna..." He then stared at Jeff, a sinister smile on his face. "And little Jeffie...how nice to see you."

"Call him that one more time, and your tongue gets cut off." Adam said under his breath, trying to hide his anger.

"Happy thoughts, Adam. Happy thoughts." Christian replied to his twin brother.

Jeff stared at Brian as the door opened. Brian was wearing a pair of leather pants, black boots and a white military coat with fringed padded shoulders. His eyes were a dazzling blue with slits for pupils. What made him different from most humans, was that he had a devil's tail trailing around his legs and claws replaced nails. Out of all the times he had seen Brian, Jeff never noticed the features until recently.

"Brian." Five heads turned to the voice as they saw Kevin Thorn appear in front of them. Dressed in a black cloak with silver pieces connecting it, and a black staff topped with a ruby, Thorn stared at the family of angels, particularly at Jeff.

"You." He simply stated to the youngest of the four. "You finally have the courage to show your face around me...it took you long enough." He turned to Brian. "Brian, let them in."

Thorn left as Kendrick bowed to the group. "Please enter our home." Gangrel nodded as he and his sons set foot into the house. The floorboards creaked at the weight as they met up with the third Wrath Fiend, Paul London.

"Master wants us all to meet in the dining hall." London replied. In contrast with Brian, Paul had tan skin and was wearing a white vest, pants and boots, all of them had black stripes falling down them. His initials "PL" were on the right pant leg, and—as he lead the guests to the dining room—a harlequin's face on the back of his vest. He also had the devil tail and claws that Brian was showing off earlier.

"I don't like this." Jeff replied to Gangrel. "They look...evil."

"You're not the first person to say that, and certainly not the last." Gangrel replied to the statement. "Wrath Fiends always have the aura of darkness in them, particularly because they are said to be descendants of Lucifer himself."

"We can hear what you're saying you know." said London to the four. "And thank you for your compliment, Lord Lucifer is very kind to those who serve him."

"Ass-kissers." Adam muttered under his breath. Paul immediately whipped his head at that remark, his eyes glowing a fierce yellow.

"Watch it." London warned the group. "You are lucky that you are even allowed to be in our home."

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The dining hall was pretty simple: a lit chandelier watching down upon a table with a lace cloth covering it. Plates and utensils were set as if there were guests that were going to eat, and unlit candles were placed upon silver candlesticks. Thorn was already seated, and so was Brian. Paul soon escorted the four to their seats, before heading toward the kitchen.

"So," Thorn replied, staring at Gangrel. "How have your children been? It's been a while since I've seen them."

"Thirteen years to this day actually." Gangrel replied. Paul had returned with a serving tray of four goblets with a strange liquid in them. He swiftly served them to the guests before he took his seat next to Brian. Brian gave his partner a kiss on the forehead.

"We saw what happened though." Brian said with a smirk on his face. "Jeffie has an imaginary friend, how cute...."

Jeff grit his teeth together, his hands gripping onto the lace tablecloth. The memories of Itchweed being mad at Jeff, and how he vanished once Jeff forgave him...

"Or what about that little teddy bear, hmm?" Paul teased. "The little teddy that you wanted so much? I wonder...which headstone is it on, Adam's or Christian's?"

Jeff was trembling, the bear...the symbol of everyone's hatred...he incinerated that toy in the blaze that engulfed the burning car until it was nothing but ashes. His blood was boiling, he was about to strangle the two of them.

"Calm down," Christian whispered to his younger brother. "Just calm down."

"What about Luna?" said Thorn, interrupting the angel. "Surely, there must be anger in your father's fault...if you weren't born, his beloved wife would've been around...Face it, Jeffrey...you're to blame for everything."

"ENOUGH!" Jeff turned to see Adam on top of the table, brandishing a crossbow. "You shut your mouths!" Adam screamed. "One of you is about to die, I promise you that!"

Thorn smirked, licking his lips. "You're right." He replied with an evil grin. "Someone will die...and that will be you!" A pair of black wings grew from Thorn's back as his facial features changed...the skin became rough as leather and looked as it was burnt off by an inferno and his fangs became longer than normal. His ears was also pointed and his short black hair was spikier. He let out a low laugh.

"Come my apprentices." Thorn said to London and Kendrick in a low and raspy voice. "We feast tonight." London and Kendrick smirked, going through similar transformations like their master did.

"Nice going." Gangrel hissed to Adam. "I told you to keep your cool!"

"They were insulting Jeff!" Adam replied before Kendrick tackled him to the ground. Jeff immediately moved out of the way as London and Thorn fought Christian and Gangrel. He slowly inched to one of the walls, seeing the six men fight each other.

"Get out of here Jeff!" Gangrel yelled. "You have to live!"

"N-no!" Jeff cried, terrified at what was happening around him. "I can't lose you all!"

"We're immortal, Jeff!" Christian replied, giving London a kick to the jaw. "But if you die, then it's all for naught!"

"JUST GO!" Adam screamed. The distraction was enough for Kendrick to push him into the ground, saliva falling down his mouth. Adam gulped when he felt the drool hit his jacket.

"Dinner time." Brian hissed as he leaned his face closer, as if he was a snake ready to inject venom to his prey.

"NO!" Jeff screamed, running toward his brother. "Don't kill him!"

Brian turned to face Jeff, but was instead hit with a beam of light that hit him squarely in the chest. He hit the wall with a thud, causing everyone else to be silent.

"What in the name of Satan..." Thorn whispered to himself as he saw Jeff...except Jeff's eyes were replaced with a blue glow, and his hair was a shade of snow white with blue streaks striping it. He was wearing a white tunic that was attached with a silver belt and a pair of white wings grew from his back. His face was covered in whtie make up, blue lines came down his eyes as if they were tears. A silver bracelet was wrapped around each arm and he even had winged sandals adorning his feet.

"Enough of this foolishness!" Jeff replied, although it sounded as if his voice was combined with a feminine voice. "We did not come here to destroy these angels, we have come here because someone wants Jeffrey Nero Hardy dead."

"Master wants him dead." Paul said mockingly. "Luna wouldn't have died if she--" He was hit in the chest with a beam of light before he finished.

"You foolish child." Jeff sneered. "I _**am**_ Luna."


	3. Goodnight Demon Slayer

_Sorry for the super long wait...very busy with homework._

_But who cares about that? I've got a new chapter!_

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**Dancing with the Devil**

**by Green Phantom Queen**

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**Chapter 3-Goodnight, Demon Slayer**

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"_**This world of ours is not as it seems. The monsters are real but they're not in your dreams"-Voltaire, Goodnight Demon Slayer**_

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**Tarot Card Reading: Ace of Wands (Inverted)-When this card is shown in a reading, it reveals that there is frustrations in the projects you are creating. Time and energy shall be wasted due to bad timing and people problems surrounding you. Should this appear, any celebrations and timed appointments are most likely going to be delayed.**

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"Luna..." Gangrel whispered, seeing the spirit of his deceased wife possessing Jeff. "What....happened?"

"Apparently, I've arrived just in time before my sons got killed again." Luna replied in a soft voice. She stared at the hands that she was borrowing...Jeff's hands that were covered with green and black armbands with holes cut off, but they could not hide the scars made by the blade of a knife.

"How the hell are you possessing Jeff's body...mom?" asked Adam, trying his hardest to adjust himself in saying the word.

"Adam Joseph Heath-Vachon!" Luna snapped. "Watch that tongue of yours! And as I was trying to explain....as I was dying, part of my soul was transferred into Jeff's body...but then again, it was to be expected...I have the essence of a Spirit Witch inside of me."

"A Spirit Witch?!" Brian repeated in shock. "No wonder...."

"When a Spirit Witch is about to die, they let part of their soul is transferred into an item before they take their final breath." Luna explained. "Knowing how shocked my family would be when they found I was dying, I made sure that small part of my soul would be inside, to make sure that I would always be there. And by awakening now, my powers run through your Jeffrey's veins."

"But why, momma?" asked Christian. "Why didn't you come to us until now?! Why did you have to wait so long?!" Tears fell down his eyes. "Do you know painful it was without you? And Jeffie got abused after Adam and I died...why weren't you there?! You could've saved Jeff from the hands of our friends!"

Luna bowed her head. "It doesn't work that way." She replied. "Jeff didn't want help...he just wanted to be by himself, and it made me unable to arrive...the two of us share one body, but only I know about it...but once Jeff knew that he had to save his family, I was able to finally break free."

"Luna," Thorn whispered. "This whole time..."

"Yes, Kevin Thorn." Luna replied. "This whole time, the one you hated with every fiber of my being, was the one you should've paid more attention to. I entrusted you to be his godfather in the hopes that I died...but after my death, you cursed him...saying he was the reason that I left this realm. People always blame things on others to escape guilt, and those people become scapegoats.

"But I didn't mean to..." Thorn tried to explain. It only caused Luna to glare daggers at the Wrath Fiend.

"I have had enough of your damn excuses." said Luna, walking toward the older man. "Your excuses in blaming Jeff for your misery, your excuses in blaming Jeff for my death, and more importantly, your excuses for trying to kill my youngest son!"

Orbs of energy appeared in the palms of Jeff's hands, making the boy look more menacing then ever. The arms were raised, ready to strike.

"Um, I'm confused." said Adam. "What type of powers do Spirit Witches have?"

"The worst for our kind." Brian gasped out. "Exorcism, the slaying of demons by destroying their core."

"Luna..." Thorn gasped out. "Why would you do this to me? I treated you well when you were alive, I always loved you...no other woman captured my heart more than you...I was upset about your death, why did fate have to be so cruel and separate us?"

"....Suck it...." Luna snarled. "I've had enough of your whimpering."

There was some silence as Jeff's body stood there, not doing anything...then the arms began to tremble. It went down through the whole body, as the knees began to buckle and the young boy's body was on the ground trembling. The orbs of energy dissipated as the palms of Jeff's hands were pressed upon the cold floor.

"W-what's going on?" Luna gasped out. "I'm...losing...control..."

"What's going on, dad?" asked Christian to his father.

"Your brother's breaking free." Gangrel replied. "A person possessed by the spirit of a Spirit witch can take control in different ways. First, the Spirit Witch decides to go back into the body. Second, different charms can be used to weaken the Spirit Witch back into the hiding. Last, and the rarest case of them all, is when the host has a sheer amount of willpower to break the hold...and it looks like Jeff has will to spare."

"Jeff...you're making a huge mistake..." Luna gasped. "This man has tried to kill you and your family...

"But it's not right!" Jeff replied, trying to regain control of his body. "They don't deserve this!"

"Keep telling yourself that!" Luna snapped back. "And then watch your family die! You have to kill these monsters!"

"NO!" Jeff screamed hands crossed on his shoulders. "Mom, don't kill them! It's not their fault! It's mine! If I was never born, you would've lived."

"Jeff..." said Christian, going toward his brother. Jeff did not see this as the younger twin placed him in a gentle embrace, but was still trembling.

"Don't ever blame yourself." He whispered. "You were born for a reason, mom's death was never your fault. Mother understands that these people have hurt you, but you're stronger than her. Even though she needs to do what's best for you, you have to stand up."

"Momma's dead because of me." Jeff whimpered. "Adam and Christian are dead because of me...Itchweed turned evil because of me...I'm an evil child...I'm nothing but hell spawn..."

"No you aren't!" said Adam. "Those kids brainwashed you to say that, but you're a good brother! Don't forget that..."

"Am I?" asked Jeff.

"Yes you are, Jeff." said Christian, stroking his brother's back as if he was a kitten. "No matter what happens, do not let anyone blame you for this tragedy. Especially yourself."

Jeff sniffled, wiping his eyes. It was then that Luna's spirit appeared, hovering over her youngest son...the son she would never get to see grow up. Luna's spirit was of a woman with vein tattoos crawling on the left side of her face, curly hair going down her shoulders, blue eyes and a bit of a muscular build on her.

"Jeffrey..." said Luna as Jeff turned around to see his mother. "I'm sorry...I wish I could've protected you sooner. Then, maybe this whole thing would've never happened."

"Luna," said Gangrel. "I assure you that no one is to blame for all of this misery. People just want to blame others for misery that they have been put in. Whether it is because it makes them feel better, or it's just fun...even I cannot tell. All we can do is somehow hope that these people can change for the better...even if we do not want to."

"In other words become pacifists while evil runs amuck." said Adam under his breath. For that, Gangrel shot a glare at him.

Jeff looked to his mother, smiling at her.

"I know you want to help, Ma." said Jeff. "But right now, only I can set things right. I have to take matters into my own hand, it's my responsibility for everything that's happened..."

"Jeff..." said Thorn, seeing the aura surrounding the boy disappearing. In a few seconds, Luna had disappeared and Jeff was back to normal. "I'm...sorry for what I have done to you for these past 16 years. Is there chance that you can forgive a stubborn old man?"

Jeff stared at Kevin Thorn, seeing the true remorse and guilt in his eyes. Then, his gaze turned to London and Kendrick; both were tortured souls once, and gave up their own humanity to fulfill their thirst for vengeance. They didn't deserve to die...but they didn't deserve to be forgiven so easily. After all, they tried to kill his brothers.

Jeff let out a sigh. "I...can't forgive you." He answered. "Not just yet. I want to forgive you, but I'm not ready to. When I am, I promise I'll tell you personally, face to face."

Kevin Thorn wanted to be angry, but just kept quiet. Silent tears fell down his eyes...and they also fell down the eyes of Paul and Brian.

Jeff stood up, letting out a yawn. Christian hugged his brother once more.

"You did good, Jeffie. You did good." The angel whispered.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

Jeff let his body rest upon the mattress of his bed, letting out a sigh of relief. He never expected to figure out a lot of stuff on his 16th birthday: ranging from his brothers' return, to meeting his mother for the first time...it was just hard to take in.

A knock was on his door. Jeff sat up.

"Come in." He said simply.

The door opened as Jeff saw his brothers walk into the room. Their angelic robes were now replaced with jeans and black shirts. Adam had his hair in a ponytail and also had a leather jacket and silver chain as accessories. Christian just had a silver chain with a cross as his only accessory.

"Wow..." said Christian, looking at all of the artwork his brother created. There were some paintings and a giant mummy made out of aluminum foil in the corner. "Did you do all of this?"

"I dabbled a bit in the 'dark arts'." said Jeff, snickering a bit at his own joke. "It...helped me out when I was so angry at the world. But when Dad found me splashing paint all over the room—and just watching it dry—he took me to poetry readings."

"That explains that." said Adam, pointing to a notebook at the side of Jeff's bed. On the cover was a blue angel with white wings. It looked blurred, as if it was made out of chalk pastel and someone rubbed out the figure with their fingers. There were some tabs at the side and on the bottom of the cover it read 'Jeffrey N. Hardy'.

"I used it whenever I felt an urge to write down." Jeff replied. "I had hundreds of ideas, but I was afraid of showing them to anyone."

"Why's that?" asked Christian. Jeff sighed and handed his brother the book.

"Just see for yourself." He answered. Christian slowly nodded his head and opened the cover of the book. The first words that were placed there, written in red ink was this:

_**I want to die...**_

_**I want to erase myself from existence...**_

_**I want to place myself in front of Hell's Gate**_

_**And stay protected by the grace of fierce Hades and gentle Persephone...**_

…_**...........**_

Christian stared in shock as he and Adam continued to read all of the poems written inside. Some of them had pictures to respond with it, but it only magnified the themes of death and rebirth. Anger and hate...Jeff wrote that down, sometimes in cursive, and sometimes with black jagged letters like glass. It was as if Jeff had different personalities on the days that his penmanship changed.

"You...kept this away from dad, haven't you?" asked Adam after some silence. Jeff nodded his head.

"But why?" asked Christian. Jeff just looked away when his brother asked him that question.

"I...kept having dreams." He answered. "Dreams of father abusing me, dreams of you abusing me, dreams of never waking up of my torture....every night ever since the abuse began. It was a never-ending cycle. If I told dad, it wouldn't have made a difference. He could talk to the principal, he could talk to the teachers, he could raise a ruckus...it wasn't going to stop the other students from attacking me, nor was it going to stop the nightmares...

"But when I did my art, like my drawings and my poetry...I felt happy. I didn't need to tell anyone...I was quiet alone."

"But it's not right." said Adam, sitting next to his brother. "You had to tell someone, or else things would just get worse."

"What was I supposed to tell?!" Jeff screamed, standing up. "Tell Dad I'm sorry for screwing up badly? Tell my friends that I'm sorry that I'm the cause of your misery?! Tell mom that I'm sorry that I was every born?! Tell you that....that I didn't want that stupid bear and....all I wanted is just you to be there to see me blow out the candles..."

Tears started to swell in Jeff's eyes...he remembered what had happened...he didn't want the bear anymore. So he chucked it into the burning car and watched it disintegrate into ashes. People mocked him by saying that he was cremating his teddy for his brothers. They called him immature and a spoiled brat, they spat into his face, mocked him, continued all of the abuse...

Jeff grabbed onto his pillow and began to sob. The guilt of everything that had happened was still haunting him; it would never let go, and he knew that.

Christian and Adam stared at their brother for a few seconds...then they left, wanting to let their brother cry out all of his anger once more. Jeff did not hear the door slowly close as he pressed his face against the pillow, tears staining the cushion.

"I'm sorry..." Jeff whimpered. "I'm so sorry..."

And he continued to whisper that over and over until he cried himself to sleep...

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"_Don't forget me! You promise we'll be together forever!"_

Jeff opened his eyes when he heard that voice. Standing up, he was in this realm of fog. He couldn't see anything, but he heard children sobbing.

"_I can never forget you! You're my best friend, and I'll always remember you!"_

Jeff ran toward the voice, or at least he was trying to run toward it. It was hard to tell with all the fog in his way. The voices became louder, and he saw two silhouettes sitting on the ground. They looked like two boys, but one had wings jutted out of his back.

"_You promise? I'll be heartbroken if you forget..."_

"_Don't say that Ignus! I could never forget you! You're my best friend!"_

"_So are you, Willow. Even if I have to move to...that place...I won't forget all the times we've spent."_

"_But why do you have to go? Why can't you stay with me forever?"_

There was silence as Jeff stopped. For some reason this whole scene felt familiar...he recalled playing with someone in his youth...but he could never remember what that person looked like. All he saw was a black blur and no face. He had something jutted out of his back—or at least, the person he thought he was friends with was a boy.

"_It's not for you to know...it's complicated."_

"_Then what's the point?!" _said the second voice, sounding sad and angry. _"I just want us to be together forever....when you come back...will you marry me?"_

Jeff blinked his eyes. Marry? Marry someone he was best friends with?!

"_Marriage? You mean when two people kiss and give each other rings, saying 'I do?'"_

"_Yeah! I'll work hard to become the wife, and you'll be my husband! And then we'll always be together! Until death do us apart...or something like that..."_

"_All right Willow, I'll marry you when we meet again. Promise not to forget me."_

"_Promise..."_

The fog lifted as Jeff soon saw what he was hearing. Two boys on the grass, one with blonde hair and green eyes...the other with black hair and black eyes. What scared Jeff the most was that the black haired boy had a black pointed tail, horns and wings...

The boy he was seeing, was going to marry a demon....


	4. The World Behind my Wall

_**Okay, here I am...trying my hardest to get this story updated as fast as I can. Sorry for delays...**_

_**But here we are, and let's go!**_

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**Dancing with the Devil**

**by Green Phantom Queen**

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**Chapter 4-The World Behind My Wall**

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"_**Oh, oh...they're telling me it's beautiful. I believe them, but will I ever know? The world behind my wall?"**_

_**-Tokio Hotel, World Behind My Wall**_

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**Tarot Reading: Five of Wands (Inverted): No matter how hard you work, or how you strive to do something, events are completely and entirely out of your control. People might have deceived you, and now you are unable to avoid the consequences. With this card, you might be going through the lies of someone else. The best source of action is to go with the flow. But next time, you shall be proceed with caution.**

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Jeff slowly woke up to the sound of his alarm clock. He mumbled something under his breath as he slammed his hand at the top of the clock, silencing it. Kicking the sheets offo f him, he soon got out of bed, and stretched his arms.

_Man...I had the strangest dream last night..._ Jeff thought to himself. _I was dreaming that my imaginary friend went haywire, dad was an angel, Adam and Christian were back on Earth...and that mom's old flame was going to kill me...I must've been eaten sonething bad..._

"Jeffie!" cried a voice. "Breakfast! It's chocolate chip pancakes, your favorite!"

Jeff froze; that voice...it was real. But it couldn't have been...

"Jeff!" said a second voice. "I'm going to eat your pancakes if you don't come out by the count of ten! One...two..."

Jeff got out of bed and ran out of his bedroom, heart pacing, mind rushing...was it true? Was this not a dream? Was he hearing right?

He made it to the kitchen and looked in shock; Adam was sitting at the table, munching on a chocolate chip pancake. Christian was putting whipped cream on his...and there was a scent of pancakes being cooked on a frying pan.

"Oh my god..." Jeff whispered. "It wasn't a dream...was it?"

"You're just in time, Jeffie!" said Christian, noticing Jeff's presence. "Come on, eat your pancakes before Adam takes them away!"

Jeff stood there agape...his brothers were eating chocolate chip pancakes; on the last Saturday of the month, the four would always have chocolate chip pancakes as a tradition. He hadn't eaten one in so long...it felt like an eternity since he saw a stack of pancakes just waiting to be devoured right in front of his eyes.

"Come on, Jeff!" said Adam. "If you don't eat it, I'll-"

Jeff immediately sat himself down and helped himself to a pancake. He cut a small piece with a knife and stabbed it with his fork. He then put it in his mouth, chewing on it. Then...tears fell out of his eyes as he swallowed the food in his mouth. He soon began to eat the remains of his pancake, before grabbing two more in front of him.

"Looks like someone's hungry." said Christian, observing his younger brother. "Really hungry by the looks of it."

"Ah, don't worry about him, Christy." said Adam. "Dad'll have more pancakes ready before you can say 'Interview with a...'"

"Pancakes are done!"

"Vampire.." Adam finished, after hearing their father's cry. "Wow...that was fast."

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"So, what do we do today?" asked Christian, once breakfast was finished. "I mean, it's a beautiful Saturday and all."

"Why not head out to the mall?" Adam suggested. "I wonder how it's changed since the last time we went there..."

"I rather not." said Jeff, eyes now on the floor, hands on his pajama pants. "I want to be doing some motor-cross, or work on some of my drawings."

"Oh come on, Jeff." said Adam. "Let's go get some crepes, or maybe share a smoothie. Oh, what type of video games do they have at the Game Box?"

"I said I don't want to come." Jeff replied in a serious tone, as he grit his teeth in irritation. "I have reasons not to."

"Oh come on..." said Christian. "It can't be that bad. And besides, we can all go out for frozen yogurt!"

"I agree with your brothers, Jeff." said Gangrel. "It will be good for you three to have some bonding time. I have to attend to some appointments of my own."

"Do I have to?" Jeff whined.

"Yes you do." Gangrel replied in a serious tone. "And it'll be a great time to apologize to your friends."

"They're not my friends anymore. They stopped being my friends after they found out I killed Adam and Christian."

"And they were trying to do the right thing and ask for forgiveness. Yet you slam the door in front of their faces acting as immature as they did."

Jeff bit his lip. "I don't want to talk to them..." He whimpered. "Why should I talk to them when they never cared about me in the first place?"

"Because they deserve a chance to be forgiven." Gangrel replied. "You gave Kevin Thorn a chance even though Luna wanted to blow him to Kingdom Come, and he was angry at you ever since you were born. Why could you forgive him, but state to your friends to wait three more years for forgiveness?"

"You don't understand!" Jeff screamed, standing up. "Those guys aren't my friends anymore. Dad, have you ever remembered a time that I was allowed to go to a party with them? How about a movie? Or maybe head off to the water park?"

Gangrel didn't say anything—even he knew that none of Jeff's friends opted to call the young boy after the incident. In fact, the only time someone actually came for Jeff was when they left him horrible items like dead birds or cockroaches as a sign of saying 'You don't deserve to live'. The attacks stopped after a year or so, but the mental trauma Jeff sustained from the taunts were still buried deep in the boy's dreams and subconscious.

"It was that bad, wasn't it?" said Christian in a soft voice. Jeff nodded his head in reply. "Oh man..."

"This is so fucked up." said Adam, running a hand through his own hair, a habit he gained whenever something was stressing him or his brothers out. "I never thought they would go that low as to abuse you for three whole years. They fucking isolated you."

"Now you see why I don't want to go?" said Jeff, sitting down on the couch. "Why should I go to them when they've hurt me all the time? I'm just going to be attacked and hazed at the mall again. Nothing's going to change."

"Nothing's going to change if you don't want it to change." said Christian, standing up. "And it's not going to happen overnight; it takes small steps, like a toddler learning how to walk on its own for the very first time. Or when a kid is learning how to ride a bike without its training wheels. It just takes time."

"Oh sure it took time!" Jeff snapped, standing up. "They broke me within a month, I lost all of my friends by the time I turned 14. They sent me gifts of dead frogs and cats, cards that screamed 'Fuck you' in red ink that resembled blood. Or how about always having my homework and school projects always being destroyed and me constantly failing classes for shit I never did. I'm nearly failing all of my classes because of them...and the teachers don't care. I'm alone...no one's there..."

Jeff stayed silent, arm trembling as he started to grind his teeth. There was a feeling of sadness, anger and pain that started to pour down upon the angels, as if some sort of aura was manifesting from Jeff's anger.

"Jeff, calm down." said Adam. "Please, think this through...things aren't going to change immediately, but if you decide to take the steps to change it, then there's a chance it will be fixed. Please..."

"NO!" Jeff screamed, the cold feeling descending, a chill falling down the spines upon his family members. "Why should I go apologize when they're going to cause the end of me? Why should I even go outside? I like it here..." His voice lowered as he whispered, "I'm not hurt if I go outside..."

Then there was an icy wind. A cold wave of energy rose from beneath Jeff, shadowing over the young teen. Jeff slowly turned around, letting out a gasp as the wave swallowed him whole.. He couldn't react as the wave pulled him down past the floor, into an abyss of darkness, swallowing him whole.

"JEFF!" Christian screamed, trying to grab onto his brother's hand, fingers inching closer and closer to Jeff's. But it was too late, Jeff fell down the bottomless pit, as Christian fell onto the floor on his stomach, watching in horror as the cold wave of despaire crashed onto the floor and vanished.

"What the hell was that?" asked Adam. "What was that thing? And where's Jeff?"

"First off, Jeff's anger and despair manifested that wave." said Gangrel. "Second, that 'thing' is a Withdrawn Demon, and third, that 'thing' is taking Jeff in hos own imagination land!"

"It can't be all that bad if it's entertaining Jeff." said Adam.

"IT IS BAD!" Gangrel screamed. "Withdrawn Demons are born from the anger and bitter memories of a person's heart. And Jeff's been harboring anger for three years; if that Demon get its way, Jeff will die. His mind and soul will belong to it, and Jeff's body would be sent to a vegetative state."

"Oh my god..." Christian whispered. "Dad, we have to do something!"

Gangrel stayed silent, clasped in prayer, eyes shut as if trying to beg for a miracle to happen.

"Dad, this not the time to pray!" said Adam, pulling his father to his feet, slapping the elder angel across the face. "What's going on?"

"...The minute a Withdrawn Demon latches onto its victim, it makes a spiritual wall that blocks anything that the victim deems 'bad'." Gangrel answered. "And since we were trying to let Jeff meet up with his friends, the Demon will make him think we're enemies...it's nearly hopeless..."

"No, there has to be a way to save him!" said Christian. "Adam and I are his Guardian Angels..."

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Adam and Christian gasped as Gangrel stood up to get it. Gangrel shot his sons a glance, telling them to hide as Adam and Christian rushed to the kitchen. There was some more rapping at the door as Gangrel approached it. He opened the door, and looked in shock to see Phil Brooks, Mike Mizanin and John Morrison at the door.

"YOU!" Gangrel roared, grabbing Phil by his shirt collar. "What are you doing here?"

"Look, we just came here to see Jeff." said Phil, trying to get Gangrel's grip off of him. "We're sorry for what we did to him last night."

"JUST last night?" Gangrel repeated. "How about for the past three fucking years you piece of shit! Do you know how hard it was for Jeff to even eat after what you've done?"

"We're sorry, we really are!" said Mike. "We didn't know we were hurting him!"

Gangrel scowled and dropped Phil onto the floor. "That's it?" He asked. "That's your best reason? 'We didn't know we were hurting him.' Oh that's smart."

"No we're serious!" said Morrison. "All right, we lashed out...but we...we..."

"Wanted to use someone to vent out your anger at, right?" Gangrel spat out. "What makes you think that you can wait this long to tell me this? Why didn't you come a month after you started the attacks? How about you told me a week after my sons' deaths? And how come you decided to isolate Jeff? TELL ME!"

"Shit, Dad's freaking out." Christian whispered to Adam. "I've never seen him like this..."

"We have to find a way to get to Jeff." said Adam. "Before something bad happens to Dad."

"But you heard what he said; only the victim can break out of the spell of a Withdrawn Demon."

"A victim can break out of a spell, even if help isn't directly with him." said Adam, an idea forming into mind.

"Huh?" asked Christian with confusion.

Adam smiled as he pulled out something from his jacket, an orb of light. It soon began to materialize in front of their eyes...

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

Jeff opened his eyes, trying to adapt to his surroundings. He sat up, hand on his forehead, getting his eyes to adjust to the light.

"Man, that was freaky." He said to himself. "There was that wave of cold and then...black..."

He looked around, finding himself in his room. It was strange...he was sure he was in the living room with his brothers and father, talking about going to the mall and forgiving his friends.

No...he shook his head. He didn't want to go and forgive the people who abused him for three years. But how did he get here in the first place? And was his family okay?

Well, he was in his room...so he had to be okay. That's what he thought as he got out of bed. Now that he was here, he never took notice on what was plastered on the walls—dark and macabre paintings involving the Grim Reaper, spider webs and blood covering baby blue painted walls—alongside figurines of skulls and a radio full of his favorite CDs. A laptop was being charged in the corner, and at his desk were piles upon piles of notebooks.

"It's safe here..." Jeff murmured. "No one gets in, and I have all the company I'll need."

"That's the spirit!" giggled a voice. "It's safe and comfortable and no icky people to tell you what to do!"

Jeff turned around to see a little boy sitting on the bed. He looked like him—except this Jeff had black devil-like wings, a black rose in his hand and red and black streaks in his blonde hair. Dressed in a black tunic, this Jeff tilted his head in curiousity, staring at the older Jeff with glowing green eyes.

"There's so much to do in here!" The mini Jeff cried. "Poems to write, music to listen to, drawings to sketch...you'll be so busy that you just can't leave."

"But I have to leave sometime soon..." said the older Jeff. "I can't be here forever..."

"Of course you can! I mean, look at this!" The mini Jeff took a notebook at Jeff's nightstand and handed it to the boy. You have hundreds of blank pages to write in, and poems to write. You don't need friends, your poems are your life. Your music is your life...you are your own life. You don't need anyone else...all you need is yourself."

"But...what about dad? And Adam...and Christian?" asked Jeff, staring at the cover of his poem book. "They're there..."

"They weren't there when you needed them." Jeff's mini me replied, looking through some of Jeff's notebooks. "Where were they when you need them? Where were they when you were shut in your room, starving yourself like an anorexic girl and listening to loud blaring music without headphones? Where were they when you were abused and teased and constantly had to keep wearing sweaters to hide all of the bruises? Where were they were punished by the teacher even though you never did anything wrong? Where were you when you begged for someone to kill you because you never deserved to live?

"Jeff, you don't need them. No one needs you. It's better to stay in the only place that can protect you. Your room. You can hide here and make shadows on the wall, listen to music, play pretend like there's no tomorrow. And no one can stop you at all...just think of the possibilities."

"The...possibilities..." Jeff murmured, pulling the pencil kept beneath the spiral of the notebook into his right hand. He opened the book and turned it to a blank page. Then, he placed the pencil on the book and began to write.

"Despair and tragedy and death," Mini Jeff giggled. "That's all that's waiting for you now...no one wants you, but with the soothing comfort of the darkness...then everything's all right."

"Yeah..." said Jeff, penning the first line of his poem (Trapped within my room/I keep myself there). "I like it here...no one to bother me, I can write and paint and draw...and.." He let out a yawn. "I can sleep as long as I want...daddy never comes and tells me what to do, and I don't have to worry about facing the world at all. I need to sleep."

"Yes..." The younger Jeff hissed, seeing the real Jeff set his notebook and pencil on the table and slip underneath the sheets. Sitting by his pillow was an old teddy bear with black fur and blue eyes. Seeing it Jeff saw something...something...

Something flashed in his eye...a teddy bear that looked similar to that one. But this one was a soft caramel color, and it had purple hair and was dressed in a black undershirt and pants. Jeff it somewhere before...

Then it hit him...he drew that teddy bear for Adam and Christian just two weeks before his birthday. The very same one that...caused everything.

_Please Addy! Please Christy!_ He had begged to his brothers over and over again a few days before the accident. _I want my own teddy bear like that! So please, can I have it for my birthday?_

_Why would you want something so childish as a teddy bear?_ Asked Adam. _Most boys your are are into video games, skateboarding, sports...not teddy bears._

_I want it because I want it to be a reminder of who I want to be when I grow up! _Jeff answered back. _I'm gonna have died hair, dress in black, have make up on my face, maybe tiger stripes also...I'll be a singer/songwriter/motor-cross enthusiast/poet/artist/..._

_You don't need to be those things..._ said Christian, patting Jeff's head. _Because you're already one of the best things ever..._

_What's that?_ Asked Jeff.

_You're our brother..._ Adam answered. _Always have...and always will be..._

The memory faded as Jeff sat up. He didn't want this, he wanted to leave. His brothers didn't hate him for getting that teddy bear; they were happy for him because he was their brother, and nothing would change that.

"I'm not tired anymore." said Jeff, hand clutching onto the teddy bear. "I'm tired of running away and being closed up in my room."

The smaller Jeff looked in shock. "W-what are you saying? I thought you hated the people and your life."

"I hate letting my family down even more." Jeff snapped. "I've done nothing except mope around and feel sorry for myself, when I should have just moved on. Whoever you are, you don't know me. You don't know how tough I can be...because right now, I'm leaving!"

"And what? See to it that your so-called 'friends' ruin your life like they've done for years? See to it that everyone you loved and cared for has utterly betrayed you? See to it that because of you, you ruined your life forever?"

"...No. I'm going to see to it, that I step into the outside world once more. And I'm going to see to it that I become the best thing I can be..."

"And what's that?"

Jeff smiled as he approached the door handle.

"My brothers' brother." He answered, grasping the door handle. Then, he pushed it down.

"NO!" The younger boy screamed as the door creaked open. Light was pouring in as Jeff flung the door all the way open, a gust of wind entering and soon destroying the room. Jeff didn't turn around as the posters eroded into dust, and the walls melted away. He instead took one step forward into the light...

And then took another step, being bathed with the radiance of escaping his sealed world.

**0 0 0 0 0 0**

Jeff slowly opened his eyes, finding himself in his room. Was it his room? He wasn't sure.

He sat up, hearing yelling and screaming. When he was in that fake room, there was nothing but silence. But now, now he was home. Home with his father and with Adam and Christian.

"It's going to take a while before things get better." Jeff murmured. "But I'll accept it. I'm not going to hide inside my shell and wait for things to be healed...I'm going to heal them myself."

He got out of bed and opened the door, poking his head off to see Gangrel screaming and screeching at Phil, Mizanin and Morrison. Jeff's eyes widened a bit...afraid that they might be coming to trick him. He slowly stepped back and...

No...he wasn't going to close the door with him inside the room. He stepped forward once more and closed the door behind him, and walked up to his former friends.

"Dad...what's going on?" asked Jeff, startling the older man. Upon hearing this Gangrel, rushed to his son, tears trickling down his cheeks.

"Thank the almighty lord you're alive." He whispered. "I thought I lost you..."

"Dad, I was only gone for about 5 minutes..." said Jeff, patting his father on the head. "It's not like I've been gone on vacation for years."

"In those few minutes, I could've lost you forever..." Gangrel replied. "You don't know how dangerous it was..."

As the two were embracing, Adam and Christian smiled...the little plan working out.

"What exactly did you just do?" asked Christian.

"When dad told us about the Withdrawal Demon taking Jeff with him, I was most likely thinking about where Jeff spent most of his time." Adam explained. "And I remembered that he still kept his original teddy bear in the room. If I materialized it, maybe Jeff would remember the bear he was supposed to get, and break through the illusion."

"And it worked!" Christian whispered. "But..." he poked his head out to see Jeff's former friends still on the couch, looks of guilt on their faces. "What about them?"

"...that's Jeff's duty now." Adam replied. "We gave him the key to open the door, but he was the one who opened it and stepped out. It's up to him on what he wants to do next."


	5. I Need Some Sleep

_**Okay, after the development chapter, it seems things can back on track for our protagonist...**_

_**But it's more like he needs rest more than anything, huh?**_

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**Dancing with the Devil**

**by Green Phantom Queen**

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**Chapter 5-I Need Some Sleep**

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"_**Everyone says, 'I'm getting down too low.' Everyone says, 'You just gotta let it go. You just gotta let it go.'"-The Eels, I Need Some Sleep**_

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**Tarot Reading: Four of Swords-Drawing this card represents a time to rest and relax. You are exhausted and need to recharge your batteries before heading off to do long projects.**

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Gangrel immediately apologized to Jeff's friends for his actions and soon went into the kitchen, briefly talking to Adam and Christian as to how they were able to bring Jeff out of his near death state. After Adam briefly telling their father that they sent a memory of Jeff's old teddy bear into the realm, Gangrel could only sigh in relief, knowing that his son was safe.

After getting some drinks and a few snacks for the guests, Jeff sat himself down on the sofa. He swallowed a lump in his throat, seeing the eyes of his first friends—the first friends he was friends with and the same friends that were the first to abuse him, the first to bully him, and the first to leave him. Now...they were the first people to come to his house in three years so they could apologize. He wanted to be angry at them, but he promised that he would face the world...even if he was going to be hurt for it.

"So," said Jeff, drawing out a long sigh. "I heard from my father's angry yelling that you three came to apologize. Is that right?"

"Yeah." said Punk, taking a sip from his Pepsi. "We're sorry about what we did to you. We shouldn't have been so angry."

"But why did you do it? Why did you ignore me all those years? Why did you just...give up on me?"

"The truth is, we were only your friends because truthfully, you're just weird." said Mike. "We felt..."

"Pity for me. I should've known." said Jeff, finishing Mike's sentence. "You never cared for me at all, did you?"

"Who would ever want to be friends with a kid who would go around thinking he was his own imaginary friend named Itchweed?" asked Morrison.

"Or literally brings buckets of paint for Art class with the intention of splattering the canvas and at least half of the room with the goop?" said Punk.

"And your dance. Who are you, Ringo Starr?" said Punk.

Jeff just stared at them, biting a lip as he tried to his hardest to not let tears fall. They all lied to him...they complimented his artistic skills, complimented on how he stayed touch with his inner child and imitated his dancing...only to find out that they were just hiding their true feelings inside? These weren't friends at all...they were posers.

"Well, now that you're done, get out." said Jeff, pointing to the door. "I'm done with you."

"But Jeff," said Morrison. "Please listen..."

"No, YOU listen!" said Jeff, standing up and hands grasping onto his dyed locks. "How could you? You're my friends! I can't believe...that you would say that so freely. Why?"

"That was what we initially believed!" Morrison screamed. "But when we saw your generosity, your kindness and your optimism...all of those thoughts went away. And when the rumors spread that your brothers died..."

"You thought it was easier to blame it all on me then man up about it, huh?" Jeff spat out. "You were supposed to comfort me! You were supposed to say that things were going to be alright! You were supposed to...you were supposed to make me feel happy again! And you didn't! You've sided with Adam and Christian's former friends and made my life a living hell! I'm failing classes because you've given me bad critiques that the teachers pass over. You've taken my gym clothes constantly and dunked my head in the toilet. You destroyed and defaced my works and passed them as your own…you took everything I loved and destroyed it; nothing was spared.

"I can never forgive you….you, my friends…I want you out of my house! Now…"

"But Jeff." said Morrison.

"GET OUT!" Jeff screamed. "Never talk to me again! I want you and anyone else who's also trying to kiss up to me by begging for forgiveness to never speak to me again. You all caused this; you caused my suffering. You were all supposed to HELP ME. You KILLED ME! I'm going to be held back because of you; you and your friends making me fail all of my classes, you and your friends laughing and abusing me…not realizing what I had to go through. I bet that you were all going to laugh at me once the obituaries revealed that I put a gun to my head and fired the trigger, right? Well, laugh all you want…because you don't need to know about Jeff Hardy anymore."

There was some silence from the living room and kitchen. No one made a sound as Jeff walked out of the living room, and slipped onto a pair of sandals. Then, he opened the door and walked out, slamming the door shut as he did.

"We have to do something!" Christian hissed to his brother. "If Jeff's left out in the open, he could be attacked!"

"But we can't go out there!" Adam replied. "We'll get caught; we'll have to explain what we're doing here."

"Jeff's hurt, someone has to keep an eye on him and make sure he's okay. Who knows what could capture him? I mean…someone's out to get him. And I doubt even mom can help him."

Gangrel stayed silent throughout the whole ordeal. He knew what his son was going through; even though Jeff would try and hide letters that signaled the father to head off to Parent Teacher conferences, he went there either way so he could prevent the teachers from flunking him. Even then, they still gave him big 'F's on his papers or tests despite how much time Gangrel sacrificed his job in order for his son to have a good education. He knew that Jeff would hate him for all of the practice tests that were forced on him...but it wasn't like he had a choice. Jeff was failing, and no one was telling him that he could succeed.

He walked back into the living room, and stared at Jeff's former friends. Just the looks on their faces was enough to explain how upset they all were. It was if they would start arguing and blaming each other for their misfortunes in an ironic twist of fate, seeing as how they were blaming Jeff for their misery.

"Why?" asked Gangrel. "Why were you doing this to my son?"

"Because...because..." Morrison began to explain. "It was because we were jealous, alright? Your sons Adam and Christian were like the most popular students in High School. We all thought that we could be with them if we were accepted into their little circle and the only way to do that..."

"The only way to fit in was to befriend Jeff." Gangrel answered. "That way, Jeff would explain how great of friends you were and therefore let Adam and Christian take all of you under their wing, correct?"

Morrison, Mike and Phil nodded their heads in reply. They were caught.

"But why?" asked Gangrel. "Jeff was suffering enough as it is in trying to make friends before you came. All of the other students would laugh and jeer at him for his personality. But once you came along, he was happy. He lived a life of thinking he caused their mother's death, and you adding the pressure of him thinking he caused his brothers' death didn't help either. You and all of the people who harmed Jeff were blinded by pride. You wouldn't accept the fact that they died in a car accident, and put the blame on Jeff all because he wanted a teddy bear."

"Jeff's immaturity is the damn reason that they're not coming back!" Mike said in fury, standing up to confront the older man. "What kind of kid wishes for a teddy bear at his age?"

"The kind of kid who wanted someone to comfort him while he slept. Because his birthday and Luna's death fall on the same day; he wanted that teddy bear to help him because he cried himself to sleep the week heading up to his mother's death. Of course, you would've known that if you used half the time you used in making my son of failure in order to wish him a Happy Birthday, correct?"

Gangrel then sensed something...these three were sharing some sort of spirit. His eyes looked up, seeing a black mist hanging in the air seeping into the mouths of the young teenagers. Sensing this, the blonde angel took a step back.

_Someone __really__ wants Jeff dead…._ Gangrel thought to himself. _Why else would someone want to harvest the spirit of Malevolence from three boys? This is serious; Adam and Christian are in danger._

_Jeff…wherever you're heading off to, please come back soon. You might be the only one who can stop them…._

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

Jeff was walking through the streets, body warmed by the summer sun. He was upset and seething. Why…of all the things that had to happen, his friends….

Jeff shook his head and cleared that thought out of his mind. He didn't need them as friends. They hurt him, they attacked him…they never wanted to be his friend. It hurt…who was cursing him? Who hated him? What did he do to deserve this treatment? What?

He looked across the street, seeing the park. A memory came to mind…him, Morrison, Mike and Phil having a picnic. They were eating burgers and drinking Pepsi, listening to the latest songs on the Top 40 list on the radio. They'd play with Jeff's puppy Lucas (the poor dog died a year before his 13th birthday) and then looked up into the sky and watched the clouds...

Suddenly, his eyes noticed something on the road: a hunched figure with black hair, lying on the black asphalt. It was trying to get up, but it collapsed onto the road. Jeff looked around, but no one saw it.

The figure was slowly trying to get on its feet once more, and that's where Jeff saw it. It was someone, around his age...with olive skin and black hair in ringlets going down to his shoulders. He was dressed in camouflage pants and a black shirt with red slashes decorating it, but his eyes...those black eyes that stared into Jeff's own when the person looked up. There was fear in those orbs, but there was also a sense of curiosity, as if the person was like a puppy searching for its owner.

Jeff looked to his left and right, before staring at the figure again. He had a finger pointed to himself, as if he was indicating himself. The figure nodded and walked toward Jeff.

"Uh..." said Jeff, taking a step back. "What's going on? Who are you?"

The figure looked confused when Jeff asked that question, but continued to take another step toward him. Jeff stepped backwards some more, until his back hit the side of the building. By then, the figure had made it toward Jeff, black eyes staring into green.

"What do you want with me?" asked Jeff, eyes shrinking in fear and his whole body trembling. "Who are you?"

"Who...are you?" The figure repeated, blinking his eyes. "F...amiliar..."

"Me? Familiar?" asked Jeff. "No, you must be mistaken...I've never seen you before in my life."

"Very...familiar..." The figure murmured, placing a hand on Jeff's forehead. "Know...you...?"

Jeff whapped the hand away and took a step away from the stranger. The figure just stared at Jeff.

"I...know you..." The figure whispered a hand on his heart. "...Willow..."

"Willow?" Jeff repeated. "No...No you really have to be mistaken. My name's Jeff, not Willow."

"Willow...Willow..."

_Oh shit..._ Jeff thought to himself, immediately turning heel and running. He didn't know where to go, but anywhere was better than being stalked by someone who was asleep on the road repeating one word over and over again. Willow...that was the same name he heard in his dream the night before. Willow, going to marry someone named...someone named Ignus...

Wait...

Jeff stopped, letting these thoughts run in his head. If he was Willow, was that man Ignus? And did that mean that those two played together as little kids, and promised to marry each other? No…that can't be right...that couldn't be right...

"Willow..."

Jeff looked up, seeing the figure standing in front of him. The figure had a hand stretched out, showing a black ring with a red ruby inset on it.

"Willow..." The man repeated, black wings growing from his back. "My...love..."

"I'm not your love..." Jeff whispered. "No...I can't be..."

And just as things were about to get bad, Jeff's cellphone began to ring. Jeff pulled it out of his pocket and pressed the call button. The figure stared at Jeff with curiousity as the Hardy placed the phone near his ear.

"Hello?" asked Jeff.

"Jeff, it's me Christian." said the voice. "Come back here now."

"Sure, but why?"

"Your friends are being possessed by a spirit of Malevolence. They really don't mean what they say, but whoever is contracting it wants you. They want you and want you for some godforsaken twisted reason that we can't figure out. This spirit is looking for you, so you have to somehow fight it. Forgive your friends and..."

"And what? Get insulted for my hairstyle?" asked Jeff. "How could they? They were my friends..."

"Jeff, I know this may sound cruel but they probably were venting out the shock of Adam and my deaths through blame. It hurt, but you can somehow fix this right. As angels, we're just invisible guides that watch over them, but humans have the power to decide what's good and evil. Angels know what's good, but they only see that part...they can't see inside a human mind, they can only see actions and words, not thoughts. So Jeff...please do this."

Jeff hesitated; he had two choices. Either he follows this strange demon into a hell-like wedding, or go back to his family and friends and face the darkness inside him. He turned to the phone...

"I'll see you in about five minutes."

Jeff hung up and turned to the figure, those black eyes staring at him with some sadness. Jeff let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry...I have to get going."

Jeff ran past the figure, running back home. Anything to get away from the nauseating feeling that these two had met before...anything to escape the experience of nearly being married to a demon...

And somehow...anything to return to the people who truly loved him.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

"Dad," said Adam, seeing the unconscious figures of Jeff's friends. "What exactly is a spirit of Malevolence?"

"A spirit of Malevolence is a servant of Malevolence itself." Gangrel explained. "They feed on despair and anger, and thentheir hosts vent out their anger at a target. And because of the three years gap since your deaths and now…then it was enough time for the anger and despair to manifest. The only one that can dispel a spirit of Malevolence is the target itself. So that means, Jeff is the only person to stop this madness."

"Okay…." said Christian. "And how does 'said target' stop this madness?"

"The target confronts the spirit and does whatever he can to make it vanish. In Jeff's case, he has to apologize to them."

"And how does making them unconscious help us?" asked Adam.

"Because the spirit hides within its hosts when they're awake. It's a very good thing I kept some of that Dream Feathers; who knows what could've happened if I didn't?"

The door suddenly burst open, Jeff panting for breath as he got on his hands and knees.

"What...do I need...to do?" Jeff wheezed out.

"Come here and talk to your friends." Gangrel answered. "And tell them...honestly and truthfully. Forgive them."

"Forgive them?" said Jeff. "After what they said to me?"

"They don't really mean that." said Christian. "Now come on...it's not like you have anything better to do."

Jeff wanted to retort, but then recalled the figure that was constantly referring him as 'Willow'. If there was anything he had that was better to do, it was this. But the thought wouldn't leave his head; was that figure 'Ignus'? The same Ignus from his dream about the young boys going to marry each other? No...no that couldn't be right...

"I...have no choice, do I?" asked Jeff.

"Unless you want them to be stuck comatose forever, than yes." said Gangrel. "Now go...go and confront them."

Jeff swallowed hard before staring at the unconscious and sleeping figures of Phil Brooks, Mike Mizanin and John Morrison. He stared at them, his friends...

But as he was about to speak, darkness spread across the room. Jeff gasped as the bodies of his friends disappeared. Taking their place was one being, a being that looked justl ike him...except with red eyes and black and red streaks in his hair. On his back were black leathery wings. It was as if Jeff was staring in front of a mirror...

"So..." The spirit sneered. "You're the one who has to confront me, right?"

"What did you do to my friends?" asked Jeff.

"It's not what **I** did, it's what **you** did. You pushed your friends away and look where it got you. Your friends vented their anger on you because they despised you. They hated that you were clinging to your brothers like a puppy dog and constantly asking them 'Can you take me to the toy store?' or 'Let me go to the concert with you!' You were nothing but unnecessary weight."

"Lies...my brothers love me. They'd want to protect me?"

"Protect you, yes. But what about being with you? Did they want to eat lunch with you? Or what about watching those horror movies? And what about you showing them your art while they had studying to do? If you weren't there, then your brothers would've lived happier lives. Do you regret being with your brothers?"

"I don't."

"You should; look what you've done. Every single friend you made hates your guts and it's all because of your existence. It was always about Adam and Christian. 'Adam, look at this picture I made!' 'Christian come and watch this movie with me!' 'Let me go out to dinner with you guys!' And they reluctantly complied with your requests. Of course, did you not recall the times they told you to leave them alone? Or how about the times they told you to buzz off as they were working? No, you didn;t. It was always about what **you** wanted, not what they needed!"

"...Is that true?" asked Jeff, turning to his family. "Was I that big of a nuisance?"

"No!" Christian exclaimed. "Adam and I never thought of you like that...we helped you with your homework, commented your drawings and were there to support you whenever you had those art competitions. We would've never done anything to hurt you."

"Really?" asked the spirit. "What about this?"

The spirit raised a hand and the scene shifted, revealing a younger Gangrel, Adam and Christian waiting at the hospital. There were tears soaking the man's face as he confronted his sons.

"Papa?" asked the younger Adam. "Why...are you sad?"

"Where's Mama?" asked the younger Christian. "Is she hurt?"

"...Luna's gone..."

Jeff stared in shock...this was the scene of his birth, and the death of his mother. He couldn't believe it, but why was he being showed this memory?

"Mama's alright!" The young Adam cried. "She has to be Papa, right? Mama's okay...isn't she?"

"Mama's dead..." Gangrel whispered, echoing the words he said to his sons sixteen years ago. "She...died while giving birth to your brother."

"But why?" Christian asked his father. "Why, Papa? Why?"

"I don't know...but Jeff..."

"Jeff did this?" asked Adam. "He made Mama go away? No...Mama has to come back. I don't want Jeff, I want Mama!"

The young Adam began to cry, all the while the older counterparts stared with guilt. Jeff looked at the toddler forms of his older brothers just crying their hearts out, knowing that they would never have their mother return...

The spirit laughed seeing the scene unravel; all the while Jeff closed his eyes and grit his teeth. Then he walked toward the spirit and slapped him across the face.

"That's enough." Jeff hissed. "I don't know why the hell you're here, or what you're trying to prove, but you can leave."

"You say that to me with such courage." The spirit stated coolly. "Yet you can't even confront and forgive your friends? 'Friends stick together', 'All for one and one for all'...how trivial. These days' friendships are only there for greed, lust, desire, want, envy...there's no such thing as good friends. There are only people who want to backstab you for their own personal gain. It's pathetic, really. And here you are, the hypocrite...you walk off when you tell your friends to stop talking and spitting out lies…and yet when you talk to me or any of the other people you've met...it's easier to tell them off. What's wrong? Why can you open your heart out to supernatural beings, but cower under reality?"

"Because supernatural things are meant to be destroyed…" Jeff answered. "Supernatural forces are just there for people to believe in when things get out of hand, or when they're trying to…"

"Deny the truth. They don't want to accept reality, so they blame God and all of his free love that did it. You're cursing God for your misfortunes, Jeff. That's good…you don't need friends, as long as you can escape your pain and walk away without these buddies of yours, why bother? It makes it better in the end."

Jeff hesitated; this was similar to the experience he went through in his room. That little child tried to trap him inside his own world…but that wasn't right. And now it felt like he was going back to that world. He promised himself that he would go through and escape his isolated existence and go back to the people he loved.

"Well?" said the Malevolence spirit. "What's your answer?"

"My answer…." Jeff began. "My answer is that I'm going back to my friends. You know why? It's because people can also be afraid of the supernatural, or the unknown. Just like people are afraid and unable to trust people, they don't be able to trust what they don't know. Besides, if I can stand up to you…I can stand up to my friends."

"Then do so." said the spirit. "If you're able to do it, I'll leave. I am a 'spirit' of my word."

"Are you sure?" said Christian. "I mean, what if Jeff runs off? Then that means…."

"I'm not going to run off." said Jeff. "I talked to my imaginary friend, stood up to mom's ex and made a demon banish by facing it. If I can do that in such a short time…I can forgive my friends."

"Be careful." said Gangrel, placing a hand on Jeff's shoulder. "If you fail and run off, then the spirit will take over your friends' hearts forever. This must work."

"It will." Jeff replied. "Now go back to the kitchen…I'll handle it from here."

The spirit disappeared and darkness receded to where it came from, letting sunlight enter the house once more. The slumped figures of Jeff's friends slowly started to open their eyes, unable to understand what happened. Jeff took a final glance from behind, seeing Christian poke his head from the kitchen and mouthed him a good luck.

"My head…" Phil moaned. "It's like I crashed into a tree while doing motorcross."

_Well, with what my family might've put you through, you'd think that._ Jeff thought to himself. _Here goes…_

"Hi guys." said Jeff, waving a hand. "How you doing?"

"Not good…" said Mike. "And uh…sorry about all those things we said about you. You're really a good guy; it's our fault that you were in this mess."

"I think we're all to blame for this madness." Jeff stated. "One thing led to another, and although it's too late to repair all of the damage you've created…we can repair our friendship. That is…if you want to."

"Seriously?" asked Morrison. "You'd do it?"

"Yeah…better friends than enemies, right? Or as Itchweed once said, 'It's better to hang with weeds than roses in the desert. Sometimes, even though those flowers are just so pretty, they also hurt you in the end with those freaking pins they have. They only think of themselves while you, the Little Prince, work so hard to tend for it, care for it, and make it all pretty and what not with ribbons. Then when you go on your little journey, you find out that the flowers you hang out are just like all the other roses on Earth. You don't sit down and cry, you move on. You soon realize I that the people you met haven't tamed you or made you who you are. But rather, it was the weeds that were there because even though they tried to suck out life from the area, they needed to grow. There, the weeds never mocked you, yet you crushed them for selfish desires…and in the end, you go back to them, only to see them gone. But, there are other weeds for you to befriend…you just have to look past the roses they're guarding.' That's what he said."

Jeff finished what his imaginary friend told him…just waiting for the reaction that his friends would give him. There was nothing; Jeff could feel his heart breaking in two as he felt like running away. But his feet were glued to the ground…all he could do was stare at his friends looking at him with expressions of shock and awkwardness on their faces.

Phil, Mike and Morrison stared at Jeff for a while…then they began to laugh. But the laughter wasn't harsh or mocking…it was friendly and happy, feelings Jeff hadn't felt for years. Jeff soon laughed alongside them, finally able to get rid of most of the tension that he had.

Back in the kitchen Adam and Christian were crying tears of joy…their little brother finally had friends again. And not far from them, the same Malevolence spirit was leaning against the wall, invisible to the four laughing teenagers, and disappeared altogether. It would seem as if things were finally getting back to normal.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

Eventually, the good times came to an end. Jeff waved goodbye to his reunited friends as he went back into his room, resting against his bed. It was good to be back with his friends…but something made him feel guilty. It was that man back in the city…he was alone and lost, trying to find Willow, whoever that person was. He looked lonely…oh so very lonely.

"Still, wish he's able to find the person he's searching for." Jeff said as he stared at the ceiling. "No one should be alone…"

He let out a yawn as he waited for dinner to be cooked. His mind recalled the dream: the two boys being married, one with a devil tail and wings and the other…strangely looked like him. But that couldn't be right—he would've recalled meeting up with someone who looked like a devil boy. No, it had to be a dream…or maybe the kid was an imaginary friend that he forgotten and was returning to Jeff, just like Itchweed did to him.

Theories flew into his head, more and more as he tried to understand what was going on. He didn't get it—what did that person want with him?

Jeff closed his eyes as he began to think about what his father was going to make for dinner. He hoped it would be burgers—burgers with horseradish and jalapenos topped with hot sauce…that was his favorite.

"Willow…" Jeff whispered. "Who…are you?"

As Jeff pondered that question, he did not hear the doorbell ring.


End file.
